In an effort to help determine the effectiveness of educational technology for learning reading and math, the U.S. Department of Education announced today that it will fund a study of 16 computer-based reading and math products. The products, from 12 different companies, were developed to enhance the learning of reading in grade one, reading comprehension in grade four, pre-algebra in grade six, and algebra in grade nine. They were chosen in a peer-review process from a pool of 163 applications.

The study will provide information for policymakers and educators on how educational technology can improve student achievement in reading and math, as well as on the conditions and practices under which the technologies are most effective.

Further, the study complements the president's main education initiative—the No Child Left Behind Act. The historic education reform law calls for the department to carry out a national study of the conditions and practices necessary for technology to be used effectively to improve teaching and learning. The act calls for the study to use rigorous scientifically based research methods to provide evidence of effectiveness.

The selection of the products is part of a $10-million, congressionally—mandated study funded by the department's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) in collaboration with the Office of Educational Technology (OET). Mathematica Policy Research of Princeton, N.J., and its subcontractor, SRI International of Menlo Park, Calif., will conduct the study.

"We're pleased that these educational technology developers recognize the need for rigorous evaluation of their programs and how they impact student achievement, particularly in fundamental subjects such as reading and math," said Grover "Russ" Whitehurst, director of IES.

"Technology should not be valued for what it is but rather for what it does," added Susan Patrick, acting director of OET. "Technology, by its very definition, should help to expand our capabilities. Our goal is to measure the effectiveness of technology as it improves the bottom line—student achievement and learning."

Teachers will be trained to use the products, which will be demonstrated in schools during the 2004-05 school year. Student achievement gains will be assessed at the end of the school year. Mathematica and SRI International will measure the impact of using the technologies on achievement gains using a random-assignment study design. More information about the study's design can be found at www.mathematica-mpr.com/PDFs/edtechrec.pdf.

The 16 products selected for the study are:

• Early Reading—Grade 1
  Product, Company
  *Academy of Reading, AutoSkill International, Inc.
  Destination Reading, Riverdeep, Inc.
  The Waterford Early Reading Program™, Waterford Institute
  Headsprout™, Headsprout, Inc.
  Plato FOCUS™, PLATO Learning, Inc.
  Read, Write, and Type™, Talking Fingers, Inc.

• Reading Comprehension—Grade 4
  Product, Company
  * Academy of Reading®, AutoSkill International, Inc.
  Read 180, Scholastic, Inc.
  KnowledgeBox®, Pearson Digital Learning
  Leaptrack™, Leapfrog Schoolhouse

• Pre-Algebra—Grade 6
  Product, Company
  Successmaker™, Pearson Digital Learning
  SmartMath™, CompuTaught, Inc.
  Achieve Now™, PLATO Learning, Inc.
  Larson Pre-Algebra, Meridian Creative Group

• Algebra—Grade 9
  Product, Company
  Cognitive Tutor©, Carnegie Learning, Inc.
  Algebra, PLATO Learning, Inc.
  Larson Algebra, Meridian Creative Group

NOTE: * Academy of Reading is used for both the first and fourth grades.

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